Mouths in Line, Tears Beside
by samehadaa
Summary: A compilation of drabbles set in the Naruto universe at various points in the timeline. Multiple character POVs, multiple character deaths, all independent of each other. Rating subject to change. Ratings may vary for each individual drabble
1. Chapter 1

Mouths in Line, Tears Beside

Chapter 1: Kakashi

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><p>Immediately post-war, hinted KakaSaku.<p>

I don not own Naruto.

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><p>He stood up, pushing himself with his arms off his knees. He stood up, despite the fact that he had zero chakra left and his head was banging furiously. He stood up, although he knew it would be easier to crash. He stood up – but he was drained.<p>

There weren't many left. A dozen, maybe two if he tried counting. He looked around and all he saw was destruction and waste, and bodies, so many bodies… He knew most of them — by name, or by face, and some he'd heard about and never had the chance to meet. But he knew them, he knew most of them.

His heart was condensed into such a heavy lump, that first he thought he was wounded. But after assessing the situation as clearly as possible, he arrived to the conclusion that his heart wasn't physically wounded, no. It was just broken.

He caught a wisp of pink hair in the corner of his eye, and his throat collapsed right then and there. He was hurting all over, but now, somehow, he felt it more acutely. She, too, was gone. She was one among thousands, he knew, and there was someone's core shattering at the head of all of the others, but this was more — this was more than shattering. It was searing, it was ripping his insides apart and all he could let out was a hoarse, pathetic moan with half his mouth hanging sloppily and his hand lamentably trying to cover up the other half.

He fell to his knees. He felt the corners of his eyes burn, and he sobbed, dryly, because it was his fault. This thing, the war, the destruction, it was all his fault. Sasuke, Obito — they, too, were his fault. It had been his responsibility, and he failed yet again; again and again, with every opportunity. He failed her too, now. He failed her too.

He saw Naruto busying himself around with carrying bodies, some to the hospital tent, but most to a pile to the side, to be burnt. He made out a messy head of black hair in that pile and his breath hitched, because it was familiar, that messiness. Sasuke.

He knew the boy was only running back and forth to keep from looking around; to keep from realizing what had happened, who was gone, how many they lost. His vision was getting blurry from the tears that hung to his silver lashes, but he saw the boy's face. He saw his face. It was broken, it was a pale mask and it was placated with desperation and fatigue, and regret, and all the things that he should have done differently. He knew when he saw him, he knew Naruto wasn't really there. But when he walked past her, when he walked past her and recognized her, when he fell at her head and picked her up and screamed, and hugged her lump body and looked around with such a broken, dim and bubbling stare, Kakashi knew he'd never be the same again. Kakashi knew he let him down as well.

They were both crying, both desperate and cracked, both exhausted and wrecked on the inside. Both hearts beating slower for the same reason; both stares dulled by the same sight; both whispering _please_ and _wake_ _up _in between whimpers. But it was his fault, he knew; it was his fault. She was lying there, lifeless and cold in the arms of her best friend, because he couldn't swallow his pride. Because he couldn't take responsibility. Because _Rule #97: Shinobi must never show emotion._ He'd been dismissing his flaws for so long that he learned to detach himself from them and disregard them. He'd been denying their existence for so long that he came to actually believe, somewhere along the way, that they weren't there anymore.

He pulled his stare off the body that looked so fragile now and onto the boy who was too quickly a man. He looked at him and asked himself if he will ever be forgiven. He looked at him and choked himself with all the unnecessary things that his actions had put that boy through. He was so sorry.

He remembered how Naruto used to always flaunt his flaws. Show them to everybody, own them, overcome them. Be as stupid as humanly possible, because that gave him space to grow. He wondered if he'd ever see him glinting again. If he'll ever see him race Iruka to the ramen stand; if he'll ever hear him laugh again. He was so sorry.

His whimpers never drowned, but when Naruto's eyes stopped on his for a moment, he saw anger, and fear, and so much heartache, that he wondered if the boy knew whom to be mad at. He wondered if he'll ever have the courage to speak to him again. He wondered if he'll ever be able to mention her name. Nothing, nothing will ever be the same again.

They won the war, he knew they won. But at what cost?

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><p>Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this. More to come very soon. Rates and reviews are appreciated, so please let me know what you think!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Mouths in Line, Tears Beside

Chapter 2: Naruto

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><p>Naruto sat up as quickly as possible and swallowed in his screams. His fists were forcefully clenched into his duvet but he was unaware, conscious only about the frantic beat of his heart and the slowly dripping sweat beads on his chest and face.<p>

It had been a nightmare.

It wasn't real, he knew it wasn't real, but yet he couldn't help the dryness of his mouth or the shallowness of his breaths.

_Mom…_

She was screaming in pain, pouring her eyes out in front of him, and all he could do was sit still and silent, and watch. He tried running to her to help in some way, but his legs wouldn't move. His lips were glued together and he could barely breathe, let alone say anything. He's only met her once before, but he never wanted to see her again, if seeing her meant meeting her like this.

It had been a nightmare, he knew. It wasn't real.

_But Mom…_

He pulled the duvet off from over him and slid his feet at the side of the bed, tentatively touching the cold hardwood floor with his toes. It stung a little, the difference in temperature, and so he stood up out of the bed and relished in the coolness of his feet. It had been a nightmare.

He made his way to the kitchen and thought about turning the light on, but decided not to, and turned to the window instead. There was so much light already, from the moon and the stars and the streetlights. He turned the faucet to cold and let the water run for a while. There was so much light already. Some was yellow or orange, but most of it was that kind of washed out blue that early nights would have, when the moon was full and when the lights were twitching.

He grabbed a cup and filled it with water, and sipped a little, but returned to the window before swallowing. She'd been there too, once. She'd seen this kind of nights too. She'd known this village too, like he did. It had been hers too, once. He took another sip and focused on feeling the cold water spread inside him and on the shadows that the wind was making with the tree branches and street lanterns. It had been a nightmare, he knew. But _Mom…_

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><p>Thank you for reading! Please do share your thoughts in the review section!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Mouths in Line, Tears Beside

Chapter 3: Naruto

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><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Also, character death in this one.<p>

Implied KakaSaku

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><p><em>Dear Sakura-chan,<em>

_Please don't cry._

_I hope you'll never get to read this letter, but if you do, it means that something went wrong; wrong enough for it to not be fixable anymore. You probably know this by now, though. I've kept this letter with me, just in case I don't get to see you before it happens. I don't know, I just have a feeling. _

_I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan. Please don't cry._

_I need you to go on with your life. I need you to be brave, like I know you are, and keep working towards your dreams. I need you to not give up. That's my ninja way, ne? Take a little bit of it with you from now on. Please don't give up._

_Don't waste time mourning me. Don't cry and stop saying my name like we both did with Sasuke. Take the time to heal yourself, but don't take too long, Sakura-chan. There's a whole life out there for you. I know it's been just us against the world, but Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-sama have both been there too, and I need you to remember that before you decide that locking yourself in your apartment is a good idea. You'll get a hold of it, I'm sure. You'll pull through. I believe in you more than anything I've ever believed in my whole life. I know you'll be ok. I just need you to know it too. _

_There's so much I want to tell you, Sakura-chan. I want to see you smile and hug you, y-know. I hope my future self does that before leaving for battle. I really do hope so. _

_I want to thank you, Sakura-chan. I know I was a hand-full in the early days of team 7, and I must've annoyed the living days out of you, ne? Haha. But thank you, thank you for changing your mind. Thank you for sticking with me. Thank you for being my friend, my best friend, my closest friend. I wasn't sure if I could do it, before you and Sasuke, y-know? Making bonds with people was the hardest thing in the world. But you were patient with me and we have a strong bond now, don't we? That won't go anywhere, Sakura-chan. It won't go anywhere. Not now, not ever, regardless of where you are, or where I am. _

_I love you Sakura-chan. I should've told you, Sakura-chan. I've loved you since before team 7 and I'll love you long after this letter, and I know you loved Sasuke and that you love Kakashi now, and that's ok. I still love you, Sakura-chan. I want you to be happy. I want you to find someone that is at least everything you ever wanted, because you deserve the world, Sakura-chan. If that's Kakashi-sensei, I'm happy that you both found and have each other. I'm happy that you're both on the same page. And I know that you were nervous about my reaction to it, but Sakura-chan, I've never seen you happier in my whole life. It shouldn't mean anything, but I approve. The biggest approval I have ever approved. The biggest one, Sakura-chan. I want you to be so happy, that you don't know what to do with yourself anymore. _

_I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm sorry that I'm gone, and that I left you this way. I'm sorry I put you through it again. I'm sorry if you're hurting because of me. But most of all, I'm sorry I couldn't bring Sasuke back. I know you said that promise was children talking but it wasn't Sakura-chan. We both know. We both wanted him back just as much, and I couldn't, I wasn't strong enough. I didn't want to give up on him, Sakura-chan. You were always smarter than me, miles smarter than me, and you taking that promise back was probably wiser than me continuously getting myself half-to-almost-dead attempting to bring him back. I know I hurt you all those times when I came home in the worst state, and without Sasuke. I know it hurt you double. I'm sorry. I couldn't give up on him, Sakura-chan. I still can't give up on him. It's my own determination now more than the promise I made. It's not your fault, it never was, but if I ever did bring him back, it would have been for you just as much as it would have been for me. _

_But Sakura-chan, I am not Sasuke. I need you to let go of me. It's ok, it's what is best. It's what you should do. It's what I wish you'd do. I want you to be able to smile when you hear my name, ne? You should smile when you think of me. Please, please don't cry. I've always hated seeing you cry._

_You should go have ramen every so often at Ichiraku's. I was half of their income source, they'll need the extra customers. I'd appreciate it if you looked over Konohamaru from time to time; make sure he doesn't get lost because of me, help him pull through. Kakashi might take hard to it too — the old man always took hard to comrades' deaths. I'm sure you'll console him. Please don't all break because of me. Go hang out with Iruka-sensei when you have time, too, please. Talk about anything. Just go hang out with him, ok? I used to do it all the time and I don't want to leave a hole after me. Tell him I'm sorry, and that I appreciate everything he's ever done for me. I appreciate everything all of you have ever done for me. _

_It's time for me to go now, they're calling for me. The enemy is regrouping on the west front and we need to get out of here before they do, and be back-up for the others. But thank you, Sakura-chan, and don't miss me more than you can bear._

_Yours truly,_

_Always and forever,_

_Uzumaki Naruto_

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><p>As per usual, thank you for reading, and please share your thoughts with me in the review section :)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Mouths in Line, Tears Beside

Chapter 4: Sasuke

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><p>Somewhere prior to the Kage Summit arc.<p>

Hinted (and I mean _hinted_) SuiKa.

All mistakes are mine and I apologize for them. None of these drabbles are beta'd.

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><p>Karin looks at him like he's a stranger, a bit of fear caught in the sharp glint of her glasses. She adjusts their position on the bridge of her nose hastily, and gets herself up, and two, three steps away from him. He notices it all, from the small quiver of her lower lip to the bordering anger bubbling just under her stare. He notices, but he doesn't say anything. The cold, tight grip he has around some cloud nin's throat doesn't waver.<p>

He collects his thoughts, pushes her out of his line of sight, pins his stare on the nin in his hand and turns his head ever so slightly to the right. How petty. How afraid this cloud nin is. How distasteful. The tips of cold fingers dig just a bit deeper into the flesh of his neck and the cloud nin gasps for air, flailing his arms aimlessly in an attempt to loosen the clasp around his airways. Sasuke can feel his victim's heart frantically pulsating, trying to cope in a rush of adrenaline; he can see the muscles on his arms and calves convulsing violently; he can see his lips turning purple and his eyeballs starting to rotate in their sockets, reaching for a calmer kind of darkness.

"Stop it! Stop it, you're killing him!" Sasuke knows. Karin is almost hysterical.

But he pushes on, tightening his lips in a blatant display of power and superiority. It's not necessity anymore. He's only doing it for the hell of it, tightening his hand ever so slowly, keeping the cloud nin on the verge of a canyon he will inevitably fall into: not dead yet, but not alive either. Somewhere in between. Somewhere in a limbo, just like Sasuke. Now, he's just testing, experimenting — how long until this pathetic shinobi dies? How long until he gives up?

"Stop it! Stop it, Sasuke!" Hell's gotten into her and she plunges into him, shaking and afraid and what the hell was she thinking? He needn't turn around, only reach out with his other hand, precise and deliberate, and close a mechanical grip around her neck as well. She gags, she holds onto his arm with both hands, and a tear slips past her eyelid. What a joke.

But he lets go of the other nin, perhaps a little too late, but certainly not late enough. He will survive, and Sasuke scoffs inwardly. Another time, he thinks.

His eyes dig deep into the girl's own, fear-widened pair, and he's so disgusted that his perfect, porcelain face scrunches just a bit around his mouth. The air smells of burnt flesh from the other two he's chased and killed with a chidori. Juugo is somewhere far away, deliberately oblivious to the whole ordeal. Suigetsu is just a few steps away, leaning on his blade, indolent as ever. Only a best trained eye could note the strain in his jaw, the stance of his feet, the flicker in his eyes: he's alert. He is alert, for Karin.

One last look, one last sharp look, and in a controlled, whispered "Next time, I'll kill you" he puts her down. Cold, slowly, evenly. He's as distant as he's ever been.

He turns around, back straight, hair sleek and shiny, not a crease on his face. Through the whole thing, he's never lost his calm. Two dead and another dying lay behind him as he moves his feet, slowly, calculated, stepping over a body, careful not to touch. Suigetsu picks his sword up with a groan and follows. Karin follows too, hesitantly, blindly. Juugo makes his way from the sidelines and they're a team again, even if only by name.

He's close, Sasuke knows it. Closer than he's ever been, and the mere thought of getting his hands on Itachi makes his palm itch with the premature electricity of another chidoi, and he feels a rush, a need, an ache to kill again. Soon, he tells himself. Sooner than expected.

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><p>Thank you again for reading this far!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Mouths in Line, Tears Beside

Chapter 5: Naruto

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><p>Disclaimer: character death<p>

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><p><em>1 year<em>

"Sakura I…" He still hates himself for it. He still can't forgive himself. "I should have been there, I should have been there sooner! Maybe if I'd— if I'd— dammit" he wipes away at tears fruitlessly, impotent in the face of a now steady flow. "I should have been there, Sakura-chan… I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry-ttebayo!…"

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><p><em>5 years<em>

People keep telling him it wasn't his fault. He takes it and leaves it, but after hearing it for so many times he involuntarily stats to believe it, even if only with half a heart; even of only a little bit. "She should've known better! She should've known better!" He gets mad at her sometimes, now. She didn't need to be saved, she always seemed to tell him in those late days. It was her turn now, he better watch her from behind.

He didn't watch anything. "Stupid ambitions, Sakura-chan." he says bitterly, because he's not really mad at her, but he doesn't want to feel empty anymore either. This is easier. "You didn't have to prove anything, Sakura-chan. But you _wanted_ to, didn't you? You _wanted_ to." He swings his glass, swallows, sighs. "You didn't prove anything Sakura-chan. You just got yourself killed. You shouldn't have been there."

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><p><em>10 years<em>

The wind brushes his hair against his forehead and he lets it, because he's holding on to the railing of the hokage tower for the first time as the new leader, and he doesn't want to miss a thing. "You would've liked it," he says, smiling a serene smile, and he knows she would've liked that too. The view was incredible. "I miss you, y'know? I wish you were here, Sakura-chan. I wish you were here for this." It had been chance, really. Whichever one of them ended up there that day would've died. She got there first. It had been chance and there was nothing he could've done to change that, he knows it now. He smiles when he thinks of her now. That's what she would want, that's what he wants for her. She had been the best part of his life and he's going to look back on it with gratitude and a smile on his face, because she deserves it. "I miss you, Sakura-chan," he says again, and when the wind blows at him once more, he knows she misses him too.

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><p>This is one of my favorites, if not <em>the<em> one I'm most proud of. I just really like the mood of this one. It's not too lite, and not too heavy. Please tell me what you think in the review section! And as always, thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Mouths in Line, Tears Beside

Chapter 6: Tsunade

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><p>Somewhere pre-war.<p>

I think this is the one that could use a beta _most. _It's not beta'd, though, and I apologize for my mistakes.

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><p>Sakura doesn't know. Sakura is out on a mission. Iruka could know, if he chose to believe it. He doesn't. Jiraiya would know. Jiraiya would slap his back, pay for his first shot and be loud, distracting, and indulging, all at the same time. Kakashi understands.<p>

And Tsunade, Tsunade is there with him. She sits herself right next to him, says nothing, calls for the barman and drinks shot after shot with this mopey mess of a boy that's all but sprawled on a stool, sinking and spinning in his glass. He's loose-lipped so soon that Tsunade huffs a laugh to herself before feeling sorry for him again. She's half annoyed and half amused, but she's above all concerned.

"He never said goodbye, y'know?" He drinks his 7th shot, bottoms up, slams it on the counter and continues. "Never did it. And you know what's the worst part? The worst part, it's" he hiccups, doesn't mind, keeps talking. "I never knew. I never knew for sure if we were friends or nnnn- or not, until we fought at the Val- the Valley, and then he just left! He just left!" He's so aggravated, so aflame, his eyes are stinging and piercing and so glassy, that Tsunade clenches her fist and digs her dainty fingers in towards her palm. She wants to scream at him, shake him and tell him to move on. She wants to yell at Sasuke too, and pick him up by his shirt and slam him to the ground. _Not your fault! _are words that ring so loud in her head that she furrows her brows again and furiously drinks another shot. She's trying to be quiet, she's trying to keep him company and listen and not let her temper get the better of her, but he's desperate and he's drunk and he's so hurt, so hurt, and she has never been good at keeping quiet. So she stands up, abruptly, startles him, and passes him another shot.

"Drink it!" she thunders, and he's so confused that he doesn't even swallow. "Another one!" she demands, and he complies, a little scared, but numb enough not to question anything. She drinks one herself, and passes him another, and so on, and so on, and so quick, that Naruto has no time to register any of it; no time to think about Sasuke, no time to whine, no time to remember — barely enough time to not choke. But she's had enough of him losing himself in bars when Sakura is gone and Kakashi pretends not to notice. She's had enough of him slurring Sasuke's name and screaming at the top of his lungs that _HE'S GOING TO BRING HIM BACK-TTEBAYO! JUST YOU SEE! _He's almost killed himself a dozen times searching for him, trying to find him, convince him, _save _him. It's enough, it's all enough; she's had enough.

She's a little drunk herself now too, she knows. But she also knows that it's too late to care about such things. She's flushed and she's _angry, _and _he's_ angry too now, and that's better, she supposes, than to have him crouched and hurting. He's alive, he's alive, and he punches her, and she's surprised! She's insulted! But she's drunk, so she punches him back. He's even more startled that she was, even more insulted, and he takes another swing at her, but she's not as drunk as he is and he misses. She doesn't miss, and Naruto has never been more offended in his entire life. He gets up and throws an empty glass at her, misses, throws another. There's plenty here in front of him, and plenty more just to the side, in front of where Tsunade stood. He shouldn't have done that, he realizes, because she's outraged, she's furious, she's walking over and he's dead, he's dead. He up right turns and runs for the door, but Tsunade has never been the kind of woman who lets others trample her pride and walk right over her, so she runs after him, Hokage or not.

He can't run straight. He can barely run at all. He falls a couple of times but he's concerned for his life. He senses the rage radiating off of her in waves, and he gets up and keeps running as best as he can. She needs only not stop walking to catch up with him. He screams a high pitched scream when she gets too close for comfort, and Tsunade laughs, because as angry as she is, she never expected him to jump like that and hit that note. He takes advantage of this distraction and climbs a tree; up, up, up, and then he yells at her, he yells at her with passion and fury and purpose.

"Ha! You can't re- you can't reach me here! Baa-chan! I'm too high up for you-ttebayo!"

But he's not, because Tsunade doesn't climb to get to him, she pulls the tree right out and slams it to the ground, Naruto in it. He picks himself up and then he's crying. He's crying because it all came crashing down on him again. All of it, all that he's effectively dulled out and numbed with alcohol, it all awakened and it's crushing him, it's crushing him, and he's nauseous on the side. It's too much, and Tsunade knows, because she's been the one to pick Jiraiya up, too, every time he'd gone and gotten himself drunk because of Orochimaru. After all, she, too, understands.

She wipes his eyes, a bit harsher than she intended, and half carries, half drags him home. She ponders on the idea of sitting there besides him until he stops crying, but he's borderline hysterical and she's too drunk for it; she's too old for it; she's too invested. She fetches a glass of water for him, makes him drink it, fetches another. She slips in an aspirin and leaves another glass of water on the night stand next to him, just like Jiraiya would have.

She decides not to stay, though, because she knows that if she did, she'll just end up crying as well.

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><p>Naturally, after the last one that I am really proud of, I feel like this is one of the opposite end. I don't know, Tsunade is pretty out of reach for me. Hopefully I didn't slam her too hard. Please constructively criticize this drabble, I'd love to hear what you think and what I can improve on.<p>

And, as always, thank yo for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Mouths in Line, Tears Beside

Chapter 7: Naruto

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><p><em>Dear Dad,<em>

_Y'know, sometimes I get home and I just wish someone was there to welcome me. I just wish someone was there to ask me how I'm doing and to hug me when I get back ok. Y'know, I wish I had someone to worry about me-ttebayo. Sakura-chan complains about it a lot. She says she wishes her parents gave her the credit she deserves and stopped worrying about her with every single mission, because she can take care of herself, and she __can,__but I just wish sometimes that I had someone to do that for me too. _

_I used to get mad at you sometimes. Because y'know, I know you saved the village and died a hero and everyone is alive because of you, but I just wish that it didn't have to be __you. __I just… I just wish that I didn't have to be alone all the time. I wish someone else's father was the great hero, and that mine was waiting at home, hugging mom and worrying about me._

_You guys never were._

_But I know you would have. I know now that you would have. _

_Y'know, when I met you the first time and then found out that Shishou and Kakashi-sensei already knew you were my father, I was so mad at them-ttebayo! I was so mad, because they knew it all along and never told me. And then, after I met you and finally knew who you were, Kakashi-sensei would want to tell me stories about you when he saw me out of it and I got even more mad at him. You now why? Because everyone has stories about you, everyone __knew__you, except for me. And they all thought that stories would somehow make that big hole go away, but they don't. They just make it bigger. Kakashi-sensei lost his patience with me once (I only know because I saw his fist clench, otherwise I would have missed it) and said that all this hurt I have inside of me from missing you, all of it doesn't even start to cover the pain that you felt. And I hit him then because whatever you felt was gone in an instant, and I'm left here to carry it for the rest of my life, from the beginning of my life. I shouldn't have hit him. I know he was only trying to make it better, and I shouldn't have hit him._

_But you know what? I'm proud of you now. I'm proud of you and mom now. Yeah, I had a really hard time growing up and it's still hard, even now, sometimes, but I think I understand it. I think I understand it now._

_All those stories I got so mad about did actually help me know you a little bit, and I know you didn't leave me because you wanted to. I know it in my heart-ttebayo. Kakashi-sensei knows it too, and Ero-sennin knew it, and Iruka-sensei, and Sakura-chan. Everyone knows it, I think. And everyone is making up for it. I don't think they mean to, at least not all of them, but they're doing it nonetheless. Sakura-chan worries about me, and Iruka-sensei always waits for me when I get back, and Kakashi-sensei scolds me sometimes. Ero-sennin literally knocked some sense into me once or twice. He was the closest I ever got to you._

_Anyways, I just wanted to say I'm not mad at you anymore, not really. I understand it, I think. Or better, at least. I just miss you, you know._

_I just miss you._

_Forever, your son,_

_Naruto_

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><p>Naruto is always half angry with his parents, I think. Even if he won't admit it.<p>

Thank you for reading, and reviews are always welcomed!


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